It's been a year of ups and down for AC/DC, who will release their new album Rock or Bust next month despite the loss of guitarist Malcolm Young (due to dementia) and drummer Phil Rudd (who was charged with attempting to procure murder before the accusation was dropped). Now, the remaining band members have spoken out about their relationship with Rudd, who first joined the band in 1975, then quit before rejoining in 1994.
"Well, we had a few problems. The situation he's in — that took everyone by surprise. We had a few issues before with him, even when we were recording it was hard even to get to him to do the recording," guitarist Angus Young told the Associated Press. "And then he was supposed to show up to do promos with us, to do video shoots and a few shoots and a few other things, and he never showed up for that either. So, at this stage, it's a pretty tough call for us."
Young said that the band haven't had any contact from Rudd since his arrest, but evidently they haven't entirely abandoned the idea of reuniting with the drummer. As it currently stands, they intend to carry on with or without him.
"We were resolved for us to go forward and I think Phil's got — it's something he's got to do himself. He's got to sort himself out I think,"Young said. "But we were resolved to go forward. So at this point it's kind of a question mark. But if we're touring, there will be a drummer in place, put it that way."
Meanwhile, Rudd is still facing charges of threatening to kill, plus possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. He's due back in court later this month and could be facing jail time if found guilty.
Of course, every cloud has a silver lining, and in this case, that silver lining is that AC/DC's 1976 song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" — a song about hiring a hitman — has experienced a spike in sales. Billboard notes that, according to stats from Nielsen SoundScan, the song experienced a 21 percent boost in sales on the week ending November 9, racking up almost 2,000 downloads.
When previously covering Rudd's alleged murder plot, this writer opted not to embed "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" in the stories in case it were perceived as being in bad taste. But, well, here goes…
Rock or Bust arrives December 2 via Columbia Records.
"Well, we had a few problems. The situation he's in — that took everyone by surprise. We had a few issues before with him, even when we were recording it was hard even to get to him to do the recording," guitarist Angus Young told the Associated Press. "And then he was supposed to show up to do promos with us, to do video shoots and a few shoots and a few other things, and he never showed up for that either. So, at this stage, it's a pretty tough call for us."
Young said that the band haven't had any contact from Rudd since his arrest, but evidently they haven't entirely abandoned the idea of reuniting with the drummer. As it currently stands, they intend to carry on with or without him.
"We were resolved for us to go forward and I think Phil's got — it's something he's got to do himself. He's got to sort himself out I think,"Young said. "But we were resolved to go forward. So at this point it's kind of a question mark. But if we're touring, there will be a drummer in place, put it that way."
Meanwhile, Rudd is still facing charges of threatening to kill, plus possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. He's due back in court later this month and could be facing jail time if found guilty.
Of course, every cloud has a silver lining, and in this case, that silver lining is that AC/DC's 1976 song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" — a song about hiring a hitman — has experienced a spike in sales. Billboard notes that, according to stats from Nielsen SoundScan, the song experienced a 21 percent boost in sales on the week ending November 9, racking up almost 2,000 downloads.
When previously covering Rudd's alleged murder plot, this writer opted not to embed "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" in the stories in case it were perceived as being in bad taste. But, well, here goes…
Rock or Bust arrives December 2 via Columbia Records.
